Henrick slowly opened his eyes, watching the grey world where the void extended forever.
The world below the dull sky was scorched with a world of silver fire immolating charred corpses except for one tiny spot. He rested his arm on the armrest of his chair, his eyes glued onto the immaculate chromatic object repelling the silver flames from closing on him.
He sensed a crack in his opponent’s barrier and used the opportunity to forcibly teleport his target. He changed his posture in preparation to greet his guest back after ten moon cycles and watched a magic circle off in a distance glowed.
Bold footsteps sound as the spirit materialized starting from head to toe. As soon as Kihet came to be, his eyes darted around and surveyed his surroundings.
“Welcome back.”
“What happened here?”
“The Towers sent its forces to attack me. How about you? Did the same thing happen on your side?”
“Four Acolytes came after me.”
“And you survived that? Impressive.” Henrick stood up. As his feet landed on the ground, a ripple travelled far and wide, smothering the world of fire. “I thought you’d have taken her offer and be long gone since you were on that side for so long.”
“Both Elenora and you haven’t guaranteed me anything. I need proof I can return safely.”
Kihet couldn’t risk Henrick catching onto his intentions as he only had one chance to return to the material plane. For all he knew, like that Acolyte, Henrick may have the ability to discern lies.
“You want boons. I can match whatever you were offered and more. I can also destroy the enemy in your stead.”
“You can interfere with the material plane?”
“To an extent, but you’ll have my word the Dragonborn will be annihilated.”
Elenora stated not even she could interfere with the material plane, unless Kihet missed a vital piece of information. Like Elenora deduced, the only way may be if Henrick possessed his body in order to return to the material plane.
“Just out of curiosity, were you explained how the returning process works?” Henrick asked.
“Not in full detail, but I got the gist of it.”
“I see.” Henrick suspiciously held his silence almost as if studying Kihet. “Say, you’re a lot more talkative now. Your eyes don’t look as dead as before.”
He saw the change.
The gloomy air once surrounded Kihet was gone. He was a broken man, treading the path of despair and sorrow. His face was set like stone, his heart was closed off. The newly reborn Kihet had fire in his eyes, the will to move forward. His face was more expressive too but controlled by the untrusting attitude held against Henrick.
“I guess so.” Kihet muttered.
“Hmm. Alright then. Let’s get down to business.”
The chromatic object hovered beside his throne while Henrick approached Kihet. Light gathered over his hand, materializing into a scroll. He then unrolled it and presented the contract written on it. The characters are not of any native language of his world. It didn’t look like old structures of ancient characters other races used either, which already suggested Henrick was hiding something.
“If you’re going to have me sign something I don’t know the contents of, there’s not a chance I’m signing it.”
“Well, duh. This whole time, I was reading your face. Looks like my hunch was right. They convinced you to use my fragment to get back yourself.”
“--!” Kihet had mentally prepared himself if Henrick caught wind of his intentions but never thought of being discovered this quick.
He immediately passed Henrick using [Crescent Moon Dance] and dashed for the catalyst. He stopped reaching for it when he sensed a presence homing on him. Kihet attempted to cast [Chain]. However, nothing came out of his hand. With neither magic or a weapon to defend himself, all he could do was roll out of the way and not get struck.
An impact shook the floor. In the middle of the fractured ground, Henrick unanchored the energy tonfa that assumed the shape of the Oracle’s crest.
“I know you just gotten back your emotions, but your eyes give away your intentions.” Henrick plucked the fragment of Sanctum out of the air. “I was kind enough to do this as painlessly as possible without you knowing. Looks like I’m going to have to force it.”
Henrick kicked off the ground and closed the distance faster than Kihet could react. He missed his first swing, but then rammed his fist into Kihet’s stomach.
Kihet managed to tuck his arms in time to prevent the worst. However, he couldn’t handle the impact and was instantly sent flying for more than ten seconds before tumbling on his back. If not for the fact he was a spirit, his body would’ve exploded.
“Ug-ack!”
The stinging pain from his arm made him realize he was being burned by silver flames.
“If you have any tricks, you better use them now. It’s not like you could stop the inevitable!”
Kihet saw a red star glint and rolled away at the last possible second as Henrick unleashed an air blade that opened a fissure next to him. Kihet then heard the song of magic and discovered glowing cracks branching ran along the ground towards him. One circled behind and produced a red spike aimed at his face.
He narrowly avoided it with the red spike poking into his vision at the corner of his eye.
More of them slithered at him each carrying different spells. Kihet continued sprinting away from magic detonating behind him until he saw Henrick flying at him from the opposite direction. His red energy blade ready to plunge into Kihet’s chest.
“Oracle, I’ve reestablished the link to you and the Oracle’s seal.” The Acolyte’s voice rang.
With impeccable timing, a pillar of silver flames suddenly erupted below Kihet before Henrick could claim victory.
From his understanding of the Oracle’s powers the flames were supposed to only affect Tower Monsters and dispel magic, but it was strange to see Henrick injured from it.
Henrick was forced to withdraw after the Oracle’s flames singed his entire right side. As he checked on the chromatic object tucked under his arm, he sensed a second figure lunging at him.
“It’s you!” Henrick growled.
Red lightning crackled as his summoned weapon blocked an ambush by the Acolyte.
“S’been a long time, Henrick. Have you stopped using my identity and made your own yet? You’re still copying my appearance. Maybe don’t do that if you wanted the world to forget about me.”
“I thought I’ve gotten rid of you for good. Seems like we were wrong.”
“Aren’t you happy we get a little reunion like this?”
“Shut up, inferior. I was made to be better than you in everything!”
“Congrats. I don’t care. I have someone else I’d rather spend all my time with, but you’re in my way of that happiness.” He shrugged. “Thanks to the Oracle, I can now confirm you’re the one behind this mess.”
“What do you know? You abandoned ‘Father’, the ‘Kingdom’ and everything that was silver spoon fed to you.” Henrick nearly popped a vein as he lunged at the Acolyte.
The two of them matched in strength as each clash of their weapons blasted strong shockwaves in all direction.
Kihet shielded his face with his arms, fighting against gale force winds that could swoop him off the ground. He put his body low on the floor, hoping the turbulence passed over him as he watched the two fought. The quaking floor didn’t make much of a comfortable place to lie down either.
“Don’t get mad. You’ll get wrinkles on your face when you grow older, and I don’t want to see what it looks like on my face.”
Henrick didn’t give into the Acolyte’s taunt as he was focused to strike down his opponent. Meanwhile, the Acolyte expressed no trouble as he continued to exchange blows until he locked Henrick’s blade.
“Now!”
At the Acolyte’s signal, Kihet pushed himself up and sprinted at Henrick. Kihet had no weapons, but he had his fists. He flew at Henrick and threw a punch aimed at the head. A magic circle formed underneath Kihet and erected a red spike. The spike suddenly phased through Kihet as if he were a projection.
Even Kihet couldn’t comprehend what happened. His body turned ethereal for a second and a chill ran through his spine thinking his existence was temporarily erased or moved. In that split second of the Acolyte’s ability used on him, he was hit with a contradicting feeling of him not existing and existing in this realm at the same time.
Regardless, Kihet wind up his fist into Henrick’s face only to force him to stumble a step back. Kihet put all his strength behind that. He was confident it’d send anyone flying, but Henrick endured it. However, that was enough as the Acolyte snatched the fragment and sent Henrick flying.
“Urg… You still have that?!” Henrick grunted.
“Sure do. It’s mine to begin with and thanks for the fragment.” The Acolyte raised the chromatic object and tossed it into Kihet’s hands. “You know what to do.”
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Kihet peered into the object and began pouring the Oracle’s power into it, searching for the scene where Alc’Bruk decapitated him. He could see things normally out of reach from his perspective, but he knew he shouldn’t get sidetracked and quickly rewind the frames.
“Why? Why do you keep on getting in my way?!” Henrick roared.
“You’re just like that idiot hero. Why do you two start battles you know you can’t win, especially when it’s against me. What are you even trying to accomplish?” The Acolyte smirked. “I’m telling you right now. After the Oracle returns to his world, I’ll also be gone. You don’t have a lot of time if you want to kill us. Not that you can.”
“Don’t you dare belittle me!”
Henrick’s body suddenly combusted in silver flames, transforming him into the fiery Demon from Kihet’s nightmares.
“Oracle, was this the figure you saw?” The Acolyte asked.
“You were right.”
“See? It was him after all.”
Henrick charged at the Acolyte in a frenzy, pulling a feint when he suddenly changed his target to Kihet. A silver lined coffin walled off Henrick and exploded in blinding light. After being exposed to the brilliant light, his field of view turned white until he set his eyes back on the Acolyte.
“[Luster of Pride].” The Acolyte directed Henrick’s aggression back to him. “I’m right here.”
“You want to die that badly? Fine!”
Henrick spread his fiery fingers like claws and hovered one hand over the other. The sailing clouds froze, and the still air locked everyone in their place. There was resistance when he closed his hands, but it slowly collapsed. The sky slowly descended to flatten everything in the realm.
“Wow. I never imagined I’d see the sky fall literally. Kind of pointless since no one here can die.” The Acolyte whistled.
“I’d imagine it’ll hurt for you, but not for the Oracle!”
“Hmm, you might be right. Hey Oracle, you found it yet? You got thirty seconds at most before we’re stamped into the second dimension.”
“I got it!” Kihet replied.
The image was set a total of three seconds before his decapitation. He asked himself would it be enough, but there’s no use hesitating now.
The Acolyte braced as his hands caught the sky pressing down at him. Though he managed to slow it down, the realm was still collapsing. He looked to Kihet in the middle of activating the fragment.
“Oracle, you don’t know what you’re doing for making an enemy out of me. This is your worst possible mistake.” Henrick growled.
“It’s your fault for ruining my life from the start.” Kihet crushed the fragment, and his body was teleported away. “You’re the one who made an enemy out of me.”
----------------------------------------
Material plane:
Soon the Oracle’s head will roll. The Dragonborn broke the speed of sound as he lunged at the Oracle hiding behind a puny warped shield. He examined fear projected on the Oracle’s face, savoring the last moments before victory was his.
“Faker! Your head is mine!” The Dragonborn howled.
A young Devil folk helplessly watched as the Dragonborn flew at the Oracle with his phantom claws about to tear the Oracle apart. Deep down she knew this was the end, but she refused to believe it. It was inevitable the Devil Folk wouldn’t reach the Oracle in time, but she drew her sword and strained all her legs to try saving the one she cared most.
“No! Kihet!”
What would happen if the Oracle had died? What would become of the world after? Perhaps the second Oracle will take over, but would the second be as reliable as the person she pledged her heart to?
She didn’t want to think about it. She wanted to stop that from happening.
But everything was all for naut.
She powerlessly watched the Dragon swing his impossibly sharp claws. A gush of blood splashed the ground. Flesh separated from the Oracle and flopped on the ground like a deflated ball. For a second, she thought the Oracle’s head was torn from his neck. The flash of imagination felt real for a fleeting moment that was quickly regarded as déjà vu as his shield landed on the ground instead of his head.
A stream of blood poured down his left hand. He lost his ring and pinky finger, but he was alive and that’s all it mattered.
“Kerse, Ulos, Pik, Holk, Exlas, Larv, Val!”
The Dragonborn was met with a cushion of invisible force as he pushed his second claw down. He found the draconic blessing bestowed upon him by Crimson unable to break the void between the Oracle and him. The more Alc’Bruk pushed, the greater resistance the Dragonborn faced until he rebounded into the sky by [Repulsion].
Seeing the Dragonborn launched into the air, Kihet fell on his rump and covered his hand. The intense pain was a sign he alive and helped him snap out of the tranced like state from returning from the Hollow.
“Kihet, hang on! I’ll stop the bleeding now!”
“I’m alright! Maybe not as much as I like to say I am.”
He gritted his teeth as he slathered a container of healing ointment over his hand. With Lily’s assistance, it was bandaged. His fingers were lost to the flames Alc’Bruk spread. The wound stung, but with a smudge of Stredhime cream under his nose, he was able to numb the pain temporarily.
“Lily, let me borrow your sword. If Alc’Bruk chases after us, I can stop him.”
Looking at his wounds, he would be the last person expected to stop a raging Dragonborn. Whereas before Kihet always had a depressing air around him, Lily was able to tell something within him changed. The tone of his voice was more expressive, and the color of his pupils, albeit small, were shining silver instead of dull grey.
More so, Lily never saw Kihet used or dabbled in interest of spells. She had no explanation as to how or when he acquired an unknown attribute. There was no reason to question it now since he was using it to protect them. To her, Kihet looked as gallant as the time they first met.
Her cheeks flushed bright red, and her heart was fluttering with stronger feelings for him. She wasn’t embarrassed to show it to him and instead nodded vigorously. “En!”
Their exchange was interrupted by a massive heat wave radiating from the sky. The Dragonborn beat his wings, blowing a wide radius of clouds away from him. It glared at the two who earned his ire.
Lending her shoulder to Kihet, they began limping towards the wall. While Lily led him back, Kihet’s [Chain] wrapped around the handle of Lily’s sword and aimed its tip at the wall.
“All this time, you still have much of your petty tricks!” Embers puffed out of Alc’Bruk’s scaly plates as the Dragonborn’s muscle bulged. His flame covered wings spread apart as a visage of Crimson once again enveloped him.
He is Crimson’s champion. He is its wrath. He is the Crimson’s wrath in full glory. To struggle to defeat an impudent foe who barely scraped by was the worst humiliation he experienced.
Alc’Bruk produced a roar of burning rage of the Crimson Dragon directed at the sky. His voice shook the land of Stusis whole.
“He’s coming at us!”
“I’ll keep him back.”
A meteor traveling at mach speed circled around the battlefield before finding a blind spot to dive at them. Alc’Bruk lunged into the same unknown quagmire in the air, restricting his advance as his claw slowly came to a halt.
Once Kihet discovered the Dragonborn fell into his magic field, Kihet anchored his [Chain] in front of the gates. After suddenly picking up Lily and hearing her squeak in a moment of surprise, they flew towards the wall while facing Alc’Bruk.
“Not so fast!” Alc’Bruk’s jaws flashed brilliant orange and breathed fireballs.
Kihet expertly maneuvered out of harm’s way as he swerved from incoming projectiles. He knew after this, the bottom of his shoes would be destroyed, but this was the most convenient method of travel at his disposal. The continuous strain of using Kerse attribute magic began to stack. Kihet’s vision began to wobble.
“Behold, [Crimson’s breath]!”
An image of Dragon’s head emerged from Alc’Bruk’s back. Vast amount of magic gathered between its maws as it then unleashed a death ray at the two.
“Lily, we’ll make our stand here!”
“En!”
They came to a complete stop as Kihet held out his hand. Silver flames rushed forward, dispelling Alc’Bruk’s magic.
Blinded by the powers clashed together, Alc’Bruk was the first to initiate a follow up attack. The Dragonborn bulldozed through the wall of flames with his deer horned daggers. He saw his opponents taken a defensive position.
A storm of arrows unleashed by the Devil folk wasn’t enough to stop him. However, he suddenly felt a sharp pain pricked him and saw the tip of a handle sticking from his collar. It was an attack that was too shallow to kill him, but it nevertheless stung. Even if an enchanted weapon were to bypass his ward, his natural plating would protect his vitals.
“You threw your weapon away, fool-!”
The Oracle was supposed to be far. Alc’Bruk’s gaze widened as he saw a semi transparent black [Chain] tethered to the Oracle. He wasn’t prepared for Kihet flying straight at his face with no fear of the avatar of Crimson charging right at him.
“Then I’ll come over here to pick it up!” Kihet ripped the blade out and struck Alc’Bruk with [Waning Moon, Falling Petals].
Shallow cuts formed over the Dragonborn’s arm, not enough to penetrate his crimson scales. Alc’Bruk quickly swiped at Kihet before his foe withdrew.
He experienced an equal impact. Alc’Bruk’s claws clashed with Kihet’s [Tree Feller] and was shocked to be parried. His throat burned, preparing to spit fire as a detergent to stop Kihet’s counter.
At his command, a ball of fire exploded at Kihet. Alc’Bruk flapped his wings, but before he could get far, his flames were parted by [Full Moon: High Tide].
“You’re not getting away!”
Kihet stepped in with [Single Flash], abruptly closing the gap between them. He saw [Crimson’s Claws] formed in the air and swinging at him. He shot his [Chain] assisting him to narrowly dodge it.
Even Alc’Bruk was taken back from the sudden push back from Kihet’s newfound abilities. He summoned another [Crimson’s Claw] but was ultimately parried by [Full Moon: High Tide].
“No way!” Lily couldn’t help but cheer.
“Lily, get ready!”
“Oh-! En!”
While Kihet held down Alc’Bruk, Lily moved her orbs. Instead of two, there were dozens of them surrounding the Dragonborn. She didn’t know when they multiplied, but the upgraded ability came clutch.
As they were tricky for opponents to predict where her arrows will strike from now on, she decided to name them [Trick Orbs] for simplicity.
“Ready!”
Upon the completion of Lily’s preparations, Kihet cornered Alc’Bruk with [Waxing Moon: Sparking Steel]. Alc’Bruk decided to match Kihet’s pace by forgoing defending himself and focused on offense.
Kihet managed to land many attacks thanks to that, but none were critical. He maintained a strong assault to keep Alc’Bruk in place until his weapon was knocked out of his hand.
“I commend you, Faker. None have brought me to such desperate measures! Now, you die!”
“Think again.” Kihet tugged at his [Chain], pulling himself away, revealing a Devil folk behind aiming her bow.
Lily pulled back a special arrow fletched with an Ikaga’s feather and had been waiting for an opportunity to loosen it. At first glance, it was just a slightly longer arrow, with a needle thin tip. The arcs of her bow bent to the extreme and her gaze were locked onto Alc’Bruk.
One arrow wouldn’t be enough to put him down, let alone dozens from earlier. He was confident his natural plating allowed him to tank massed produced projectiles. However, Alc’Bruk wasn’t so certain after observing the Devil Folk’s expression of a hunter who found her mark. His instincts screamed at him to dodge and found himself ducking from the loosened arrow scraped his scaly skin near his ear hole.
He touched his injury and was shocked to know a puny arrow managed to carve a chunk form his natural plate even when under the protection of Crimson’s Blessing. Perhaps age had caused some of his protection to weaken or he was running low on time.
Unsure which projectile was the green arrow, Alc’Bruk wove left and right. He dodged arrows flying all around him. Each one swallowed up and spat right back at him from a flock of orbs surrounding him.
The Dragonborn sprung at Lily then a sensation of stabbing pain struck his arm. Unlike all attacks he suffered, it was the first time he witnessed an attack cleanly bypassed his defenses. The same arrow with green feathers loosened a while ago had pierced the forearm he stretched out.
That moment of distraction allowed Kihet step in with [Single Flash]. All this time, Kihet was observing possibilities of where Alc’Bruk’s reverse scale was located, but he was certain it was on his chest.
He raised the sword held tightly in his hands, aiming for it.
“Eldest Brother!”
Alc’Bruk’s blood brother, Kaz’Bruk dove into the fight. The Dragonkin hacked the ground between Kihet and Alc’Bruk, driving Kihet back. Immediately, flocks of Dragonkins descended and guarded the Dragonborn.
“Kaz’Bruk, you imbecile! They are my prey!”
“Open your eyes! The wall has collapsed, and we have many casualties! The battle is lost. The council will want answers!”
“It is not lost, for I still stand.”
“Look at yourself! Crimson’s blessing has worn off!” Kaz’Bruk bellowed and turned to Kihet. “A defeat may tarnish your pride, but we Dragonkins must not lose you. You are the one to path the future for us Dragonkins, Eldest Brother!”
To further support Kaz’Bruk’s argument, Scalemen militia charged out of the gates. They were Kihet’s allies. Among them, an Enui, Rozzalian and a insectoid led the charge.
“Don’t let them get away!”
Alc’Bruk finally accepted he lost the battle, after comparing morale of his to the enemy militia.
“Kaz’Bruk. Signal the retreat formation.”
“Yes, Eldest Brother!” At Kaz’Bruk’s orders the Dragonkins united their flame breath to ward off enemy reinforcements.
Once the perimeter was secured, the Dragonkins took to the skies and flew away from the battlefield. A hail of arrows rained on them but burned before striking any of them. Only Lily’s arrows and her ability to redirect her projectile trajectories were able to pluck a few of them down the skies until her bow snapped.
Nonetheless, behind the curtain of fire, the Dragonkins managed to escape with Alc’Bruk’s life unclaimed.
It was certainly victory for the Scalemen, but without the death of Alc’Bruk, the war for Stusis continued.